UAE. Key government figures overseeing waste management in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Yemen have confirmed that they will speak at the upcoming Middle East Waste Summit to be held from 18 -20 May 2010 at The Palladium, Dubai Media City.

Held under the Patronage of HH. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality, the Middle East Waste Summit has been developed by Dubai Municipality to open up a much-needed dialogue between governments and businesses in the region.

As Eng. Hassan Makki, Director of Waste Management Dept., Dubai Municipality comments: “Dubai creates more than 10,000 tonnes of general waste a day.

Today many GCC countries rank higher than developed countries in terms of per capita waste generation. Sustainability must be at the heart of future development and through the Middle East Waste Summit we are bringing those responsible for policy, regulation and enforcement together with waste management companies, recycling experts and environmental organisations to discuss more efficient strategies.”

“I look forward to welcoming our counterparts from other Municipalities in the region. I am confident that MEWS 2010 will bring us all more success as we endeavour to find the most suitable solutions to the environmental problems we are facing in our cities,” he added.

Conference sessions involving government representation will cover policy, regulation and enforcement; waste avoidance and resource management; waste to energy; and strategies for municipal waste and recycling. A special round table discussion on zero waste moderated by Dr. Kadhim will also be conducted.

Commenting on the 2010 programme, Chris Fountain, Managing Director of event organisers Turret Middle East, said: “The Waste Summit has always been about creating a platform for the industry to debate the future of waste management and explore global best practice in front of those people who have the power to make decisions, change policy and look at enforcement methods. We are delighted to see so many government representatives on the programme and this is one of the reasons that we have moved the Summit to The Palladium in Dubai Media City.

This new venue gives us a purpose-built conference centre and plenty of modern exhibition space for our exhibitors.”

A full list of sessions, speakers, round table discussions and exhibitors are listed in detail on the website www.wastesummit.com

INTERNATIONAL. New research from PwC projects that traditional assets under management (AuM) in 12 markets across Africa will rise to around US$1,098 billion by 2020, from a 2008 total of US$293 billion.

INTERNATIONAL. New research from PwC projects that traditional assets under management (AuM) in 12 markets across Africa will rise to around US$1,098 billion by 2020, from a 2008 total of US$293 billion.

UAE. Egis acquires 51% of Projacs, the leading project and construction management firm in the Middle East. This transaction represents a new stepping stone for the development of both Egis and Projacs.